Category: Uncategorized

I had no clue what to expect going into this site since the name is so simple, and the category given was Entertainment. Maybe it would be about movies, tv, music, partying, who knows. So let’s find out.

The page loads and it has a standard 3 column layout. Red left and right columns make up the navigation and other parts of the site, and a big white column in the center for the blog itself. At the top of the white column is a logo of sorts which doesn’t help explain the site at all as it is just a blue face with red hair in the middle of brendoman.com. But let’s have a look around and see what we can find out.

Immediately my eyes were drawn to the About Us page. This let me in on the fact that it was a group blog. This could be a good thing or it could be a bad thing. I am still not sure. So the about us page is just a photo of all the group members. Obviously they know each other outside of the blog which is cool. This can make for some interesting interaction between them on the blog itself.

So onto the blog itself: Yes it is a group blog. And guess what it is about? Movies, music, tv, and stuff they either did or plan on doing. Most of the site is devoted to movies and entertainment which is good to an extent. The problem I had with this is that they all seem to talk about the same thing over and over and over again. For instance, in the month of October there are 5 different posts for the movie Kill Bill. That seems like an awful lot. I am not even going to start on the number of posts about the number of LOTR posts.

Thankfully it isn’t just about movies. There are posts about tv shows, music, video games, daily life as I said. These posts serve as a distraction from the movies almost. This is very similar to that small subplot that just keeps popping up every now and then in a movie. It keeps the site from going down the drain quickly.

My biggest gripe is with the archives. The only page that has an original design is the front page. Every other page has the standard movabletype template. This is annoying. The template makes it very hard to read the archives as there is barely any formatting, and the difference between a headline and tagline and the body of a post are almost interchangeable. This needs to be fixed. Even if they just tweak the layout for the archive so that it is easier to read, that would be a good thing.

The group aspect of the weblog doesn’t really play into the site too much. There isn’t very much interaction between the people who post, which is probably due to the fact that they all know each other outside of the weblog. They all are obviously into the same things because without the taglines I wouldn’t really be able to tell you who posted what.

This site has a lot going for it, but unfortunately a lot needs to be worked on. I enjoyed my time here, but as I said, I would prefer if the design carried over to the archives, and I wish it would be possible to tell who posted what. An expanded about page would be really good to have too, but is not needed. So if you want to know about movies, music, and other entertainment stuff, this is worth the surf.
brendoman

When I first clicked onto this site, I spent ages wondering what the background pattern was! I was wondering if it was stones or something. I have to admit that it totally distracted me for awhile! I then noticed the contrast between the background and the boxes. It stood out to me. I noticed how tidy the site was and how few boxed links there were. It all felt very compact. I also linked the top drop down menu.

The blog is a real mixture of subjects. Chad is ill at the moment with bronchitis and is feeling quite down in the dumps! He made an interesting survey of what he saw on TV for a day though that made me titter. The posts are made up of sport, some political musings and the story of his court appearance. I did not find out what he actually had to go for though! There is a touch of personnel posts and if you go back through the archives, you can catch a picture of him with a puppy! He also has links to other sites to discover weird and wonderful ways to amuse yourself, including how much you are worth on your own barcode!! There is also some technical posts thrown in as he is studying computer networking.

I personally, as mentioned above, got really distracted by the background. I kept finding my eyes drawn to it, and continuing to wonder what it reminded me of! I was also fascinated by the fact that the boxes moved whilst the background stayed static! I guess that I am easily distracted! The design though is very clean and there is no clutter on the site. The boxes to the right are kept to a minimum and there is a drop down title bar. The “speak” button had me foxed though. It was novel to have a person talking to you, once I had recovered from the shock! I do not have broadband though, so experienced a few problems!

It is hard to tell when the posts were made as there does appear to be any dates on each post. There is a calendar that marks how many days he has posted on that month. I must also admit that the difference in the page designs did make me feel as though I had left the weblog and gone somewhere else when I clicked out! I could not get the graduation or greenbier links to work though…it lists the jpegs for the pages.

The main bonus for regular readers is that you can subscribe to receive the latest updates to C:TOOKIEWANA.EXE. The mixture of the posts on the blog do ensure that there is something to amuse everyone. I am sure that anyone that visited could find part of the site that they would enjoy reading, or find a link that takes them to somewhere that makes them smile.

I can honestly say that there is such a varied mixture of subjects in this blog, that I found myself reading for ages!! I really enjoyed my visit and found some of the posts truly fascinating. I always love to read about people and their lives outside of where I live. Some posts made me laugh, some got me closer to Chad and some just made me sit back and think. I think that this blog has got better as time has moved on. I will certainly be visiting it again. It was refreshing and made a very good read.
tookiewana

My first impressions of “The joy of being me” were positive, and things only got better from there. Apart from having her own domain name (always a good sign in my opinion) she also has her own personalized layout which is simple, functional and looks great- really compliments the blog well. It was nice to be able to see all of the sidebar stuff without having to do any scrolling (at least in 1024 x 768). She has also embraced new technology and has two videos of her bungee jumping, as well as a 24 hour webcam and real time chat facility for when the authoress is there (she wasn’t when I visited.) Looking back through the archives, the webcams have been used quite a bit, even for seeing who came “trick or treating” on Halloween by rigging it up outside the front door. I also liked the way that her blog links actually showed an image of the blog being linked to.

Ok, so the design/layout/optional extras were all exceptional, appropriate and tasteful. So with all this going on for her, could the content measure up too? Well yes, surprisingly it does. The authoress is an oldtimer amongst bloggers, with archives going back to January 2002 (though this didn’t seem to be the beginning of the blog). All her postings are of a personal nature, fairly short and easy to read. This makes the blog easily accessible and a light read.

Although the subject matter doesn’t vary much from the day to day life stuff, there are sufficient updates for the reader to get really caught up with things. Her life is pretty varied and she also waxes lyrical about her views on the bigger issues too, which make it even more engaging. Before I knew it I found myself two months in to the archives and still wanting to read further. I don’t know what it is about unpretetious blogs that simply relate the day to day life stuff but I find them absolutely fascinating if they are written with any real honesty, which this one is. It is like being a voyeur I suppose- it taps the same vein as reality TV shows do, though without anyone playing up to the cameras.

I thought this blog embodies for me what blogging should be about, at least personal blogging. Some people may get bored here if they are looking for the more factual or “themed” kind of blogs, but for those of you who simply want to get a view on someone else’s world, this would be a great place to start.The joy of being me

Greeted by a generic typepad template with but a few modifications one can be forgiven for wondering whether this would be just another run of the mill blog, but given closer inspection the reader will discover that spinning is anything but. A brief about me gives you a little background information about both the author and the image which resides at the top of the right hand menu. With that brief introduction in mind I headed off to that crucial first posting, and I was gripped from that moment on.

The blog has been in place since October 2003, and from the outset the quality of writing is by far superior to your average weblog. The vast majority of her posts are on the art form itself, with extracts from pieces of her own work. This site serves as a beautiful insight into the life and mind of an author. Every entry is beautifully written and engaging, and I quickly discovered that I had worked my way through her entire archives without looking up once!

There is nothing spectacular about the design, it’s a straight forward typepad template with some minor adjustments and a couple of images. All the links worked, it was easy to navigate, and easy to read. There are some fascinating links in the right hand column which are definitely worthy of further perusal, and be sure to check out Talespinning listed as work in progress.

If you are interested in excellent writing then this site is definitely worth a visit. The site design may not be as individual as it could be, but it doesn’t need to, the writing sells itself. A rare find, and worthy of the first 5 I have awarded.Spinning

Editors Note: The name of the weblog was changed to sortapundit.com after the review was written.

Being something other than American, I was kind of skeptical before I even started reading WorldWarBush. I have my own views on American politics, and get tired very easily of anything to do with Bush, or anti-Bush, as it’s been thrown at me from all directions in the last couple years. However, once I started reading I was pleasantly surprised by what I found in the writing.

Keith, or Taylor as he prefers is a young man in his 20’s living in Manchester (which alone puts him in my good books). He explains he started blogging before England went to Iraq, and had so much to write about he has kept at it. He has some very distinct views on politics and George Dub-ya in particular. At times this is trying, because most of us have had enough. but as the blog goes on, he admits he no longer has the loathing he once had. I have to admit, this is where the posts get better. Taylor begins incorporating other news items, that have less to do with Bush, and less to do with Iraq and WMD, and I start to get interested.

The site itself is an interesting one. If you go back to the “old site” link its a bombardment of Lycos pop ups and makes your head hurt. The new site, is a blogger site, with some additions. While I appreciate additions or alterations to any blogger site, the links on the right seem out of place with the box they are in. i don’t know how to explain it, it’s kind of like they aren’t centered right. It’s nothing horrible, just something that caught my eye. Otherwise, the site looks good, the links all work (which is good cause there are a ton) and it’s easy to get around and find what you need.

Overall, the site is good – and maybe great if you like political news. I myself find it hard to stay interested in politics, and especially american ones. Taylor writes very very well making it easier, so regardless I would give it a look just to see what you think.WorldWarBush